Obasanjo Fears for Nigeria

Former Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo warns that the country is going through a "fragile" period and that politicians should not “toy” with Nigeria by taking advantage of ethnic, tribal and religious divisions. He is expressing publicly a widespread concern in the run-up to the 2011 elections--that such divisions exploited by politicians threaten to undermine Nigeria’s stability and democratic development. Obasanjo’s comments follow INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega’s concern last week that the elections may still fail. Obasanjo’s explicit, public warning is unusual for him and reflects the rising tensions during this pre-election period.